✅ The Designer Growth Checklist

Real steps to do everyday to become a better designer

1. Turn Notes → Actions

Transform the previous day’s interesting links & screenshots into actionable learnings. Saw a post about an interesting new AI? try it today in your workflow. Read about a Figma trick? try that too. If you like it you will automatically integrate it into your workflow, no extra effort needed.

How many times have you seen something interesting while reading an article or scrolling through social media, bookmarked it and then forgot all about it? We’re all guilty of that. Our screenshots and bookmarks prove it 😅 But that’s ok.

Why do we do this?

I have no real data, but based only on my observations of me and those around me I see that most bookmarks and screenshots are made when we are not in a mood/state to put more effort in saving the data any other way.

A person scrolling through their phone while waiting for their coffee/waiting for their ride/curled on the couch after a long day can’t be expected to open a notion doc and put the interesting bit of info into a complicated table. Bookmark or screenshot is just fine. It does the trick and takes less than 5 seconds.

So every morning, just go through the previous days screenshots and bookmarked articles, notes and try them out. Even if it’s a delicious looking recipe and has nothing to do with design 😙

2. Follow good design feeds

For step 1 to be really effective, you need to find good people and design feeds to follow to get the most benefit. You could totally end up with a screenshot folder full of everything but design otherwise 😂 (says the girl with a folder full of books, recipes, quotes and outfit ideas. Hey, I’m just a girl, it’s not a crime to appreciate fashion, good thrillers & baking tips 🤷🏻‍♀️).

So check out #ui #ux #usability #hcd #design #productdesign and other hashtag that interests you on the platform you most enjoy using. The best content I saw is on instagram and linkedin. You can even follow the hashtag instead of individual accounts.

3. Check out the day’s top apps, hot apps.

When you have some spare minutes during the day, check the top rated apps on iOS and android. Check the news to see which apps are hot and screenshot/bookmark it. The next day try what people say they love about those apps into your current project if it applies, adjust as required.

4. ..Then Take a look around the pretty designs.

We can’t forget about eye candy, of course. UI is important in getting user attention whether we like to admit it or not. So take a few minutes to scroll through popular ui shots on dribbble and similar websites, ignore the screaming usability errors just learn what trends are hot and enjoy some pretty ui :)

5. Watch people.

When you go out, while walking or waiting in line or waiting for the traffic light; watch how people interact with the world around them. These mental models tip us on how to make a digital experience intuitive. Trust me, this is very fun for people who like psychology.

Which brings us to the next point:

6. Read books on design & psychology

I know a lot of people are not readers and have no patience or time for consuming books, but believe me, not all kinds of information can be put into a 10 minute podcast or a 10-page social media carousel.

Psychology is very important to understand the human mind and behavior. And since most of the time we base our initial designs on assumptions, reading about human nature will make your assumptions closer to the truth since they are based on research and clinical statistics on real people. Try audio books if you can’t find 30 minutes to read before bed or commuting. But do yourself a favor, pick up a psychology book when you can; my favorites are Mindful Design, Influence, Emotional Design, Made to Stick, The Power of Habit.

And finally..

7. Get yourself out there & listen.

This is the most important task in every designer’s job. Ask other professional to review your work. And I say other professionals because I know exactly how frustrating it is to hear something like “show me another option” without any other details. Get the opinion of people with long design experience and listen to what they say. Ignore anyone who acts rudely and trust your decisions.

And Repeat..

this is honestly what works for me. Could work for you too, who knows? let me know if you have any other tips/ideas on growing and learning, I love a good tip :)

‘Till next time, lots of love and #keepdesiging